Calgary council votes to close roads leading to Bearspaw Reservoir

Andrew Jeffrey · CBC News

· Posted: May 07, 2025 2:18 PM EDT | Last Updated: 40 minutes ago

A brace of roads the nationalist has utilized to entree the Bearspaw Reservoir volition beryllium closed after a Calgary metropolis assembly ballot connected Tuesday.

Council voted to o.k. a connection to unopen down the undeveloped roadworthy allowances, which members of the nationalist person been utilizing to entree the reservoir done Haskayne Park, and to get to a marina concern that opened connected the h2o conscionable past year.

TransAlta, which operates the Bearspaw Dam and Reservoir and owns onshore adjacent to the water, called connected the metropolis to adjacent the roads to discourage people from going to the reservoir for on-water activities.

The institution cited risks to nationalist information stemming from abrupt changes that tin hap successful h2o levels that make beardown currents and waves, and the imaginable hazard that unmanaged enactment connected the reservoir could person connected h2o quality.

"We're required to ain the onshore astir the reservoir arsenic a information buffer, and we can't instrumentality connected the liability of allowing the nationalist entree done a information buffer... to entree the h2o for recreation purposes," TransAlta manager of outer affairs Duncan Webster told assembly connected Tuesday.

The Bearspaw Reservoir supplies 60 per cent of Calgary's drinking water.

Last year, Bearspaw Marina opened, mounting up docks connected the reservoir. The marina offers canoe, kayak, enactment boat, pedal vessel and paddleboard rentals, but TransAlta argues it was acceptable up without due authorization from the city.

On Tuesday, Bearspaw Marina co-owner Rick Skauge defended maintaining nationalist entree to the reservoir and denied that the marina was acceptable up improperly.

"The marina operates legally connected a national waterway nether the [Canadian Navigable Waters Act]. It has been confirmed by Transport Canada arsenic a insignificant works project, and Alberta and Rocky View County person some stated their support is not required. We are afloat compliant," helium said.

"The closure of this roadworthy allowance would termination this vision. It would contradict the nationalist entree to a safe, stunning lake."

Skauge said helium has boated connected the reservoir for years and argued that concerns astir information connected the h2o are overstated due to the fact that the changes successful h2o level are hardly noticeable. He noted that the marina maintains a rescue vessel and enforces beingness overgarment rules for renters.

The metropolis received hundreds of letters up of Tuesday's treatment from members of the public opposing the program to unopen down the roads, and arguing in favour of nationalist entree to the water.

Without that, the marina won't beryllium capable to operate, said Skauge, who has lived successful Bearspaw and managed the adjacent Tree Farm for decades.

Weighing information risks with nationalist access

Ward 1 Coun. Sonya Sharp voted to adjacent the roads, which tally done her ward, citing her concerns astir public safety and the request for a amended knowing that the recreation could person connected h2o quality.

"The conditions astatine the Bearspaw Reservoir is simply a existent and urgent risk," said Sharp. "If idiosyncratic were to drown determination this summer, I really would not beryllium capable to unrecorded with myself if I didn't enactment this."

Ward 9 Coun. Gian-Carlo Carra argued council should beryllium focused connected whether it supports progressive recreation connected Bearspaw, and criticized their inability to get to the array to find a liable and harmless mode to let that effort.

"This is successful the tone of everything we judge successful presumption of our nationalist recreation goals, our stream entree strategy goals," said Carra.

Some councillors noted they would beryllium unfastened to discussing reopening the roads and nationalist entree to the reservoir successful the future.

The reservoir falls wrong Rocky View County's boundaries, but the metropolis partners with the region and TransAlta to guarantee nationalist information and support infrastructure connected and astir the reservoir, to support the situation astir the area, and to guarantee h2o prime for the h2o attraction plant.